Call for Artists: Keddy Trail Street Art Project, City of Hamilton

City of Hamilton
Keddy Trail Street Art Project

Application deadline: Thursday, June 30th, 9:00 PM

The City of Hamilton invites street, mural and graffiti artists or artist teams to submit an Expression of Interest to create a mural for the Keddy Trail Street Art Project. There are seven (7) commissions available for small to large-scale murals that include concrete barrier walls, seating along the trail, and a series of bridge underpass columns and walls.

An artwork proposal is not requested at this time. A citizen advisory committee will evaluate the applications based on the artistic merit of past work, expression of interest statement and artist biography. The selected artists will be required to develop a preliminary mural design sketch for approval prior to the mural paint days.

BACKGROUND

The Keddy Access Trail, named in honour of Jay Keddy was completed in 2020 and was facilitated by re-purposing a vehicular travel lane on one of the city’s busiest mountain access corridors to provide a high-quality active transportation connection between the lower city and mountain. With a total distance of 2.7 km, the Keddy Access Trail spans between Hunter Street and West 5th Street, with side connections at four locations (including an entry point at Hunter Street and the bottom of the Claremont Access).

In addition to these elements, the Keddy Trail Street Art Project will feature a legal wall. All commissioned murals will be painted over the course of 3-4 days in the summer (mid to late August, date TBD based on artist availability, weather dependent) and will culminate in a community celebration.

Concrete Barrier Wall

PROJECT GOAL AND THEMES
In 2022, a citizen advisory committee of local artists and trail users was convened to explore project goals and themes. Artists are invited to respond to one or more aspects of the project goal determined by the Keddy Trail Street Art Advisory Committee:

The Keddy Trail Street Art Project aims to create a sense of connection with residents about the idea of Hamilton as a Livable City.

The Keddy Trail serves as a thread linking elements of shared civic space, a literal line cutting through the tension of a growing city accessed by a broad range of citizens. The Keddy Trail Street Art Project commissions will address the sense of balance between the natural environment, cycling, pedestrian and vehicular infrastructure, the upper and lower city, diverse communities and people, on our journey to becoming a Livable City.

BUDGET

Depending on the size and location of the mural, successful artists will be awarded between $2,500 – $18,750 (excluding HST). Mural locations will be assigned the Keddy Trail Street Art Advisory Committee. This fee is the total amount available for all expenses related to this project. This includes (but is not limited to): artist fees, paint and materials, insurance, equipment, and travel.

Jolly Cut Underpass Bridge

ELIGIBILITY

This competition is open to all individual artists or artist teams. We encourage applications from artist-led teams or organizations that are engaged in a community art practice. Successful artists or teams must be able to travel to Hamilton, Ontario for the mural paint days at their own expense. This date will be scheduled in mid- to late- August depending on Artist availability (subject to weather). City of Hamilton employees are not eligible to submit proposals to this call.

Emerging artists are encouraged to apply. Artists under 18 years of age must have their parent or legal guardian sign all required documents on their behalf.

ONLINE INFORMATION SESSIONS

Small to Medium Murals
Monday June 20, 2022 at 12:00 PM or 7:00 PM

Jolly Cut Underpass Mural
Tuesday June 21, 2022 at 12:00 PM or 7:00 PM

Artists are invited to view a presentation on the adjudication process and submission requirements. This is not a mandatory meeting.

Please RSVP kim@cobaltconnects.ca before June 19, 2022 for virtual meeting details.

APPLICATION DETAILS

Applications are due by 9:00pm on Thursday, June 30th, 2022 and may be submitted online via Submittable (submissions management platform). You must sign up for a free account in order to use Submittable.

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CONTACT US

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or need assistance with your application. This project is being managed by non-profit arts service organization Cobalt Connects.

Kim Selman, Cobalt Connects
Phone: 905-515-9334
Email: kim@cobaltconnects.ca
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